We get hundreds of emails, forum posts and messages at WorkoutBOX. However – if everybody read this prior to emailing us, our overall volume of questions would probably be cut in half.

Why?

Because about half of them are similar to the following question:

What exercises should I do to lose my gut?

What exercises should I do to get a 6 pack?

What exercises should I do to build muscle?

I’m not sure where the myth came from that there is a magical list of exercises that you can perform and – POOF! – you’ll have your dream body. It was probably the same person that created the “eat whatever you want, never exercise, and still lose weight” myth.

The person who invented that myth should be shot. They’ve cheated thousands of people out of their hard-earned money – and also out of a better life. They’ve done this by frustrating them and turning their interest in fitness off completely. In my mind, this is a crime.

I want to tell you a secret…

Getting in shape is NOT about the exercises you do.

Hmm…that sounded confusing. Exercise selection IS important when you know what you’re doing, but isn’t a magic bullet by itself.

Let me rephrase that same secret so it makes a little more sense to you:

Getting in shape is not JUST about the exercises you do.

In fact, exercise selection is only about 10% (at the most) of what goes into getting you a better body.

Exercises themselves are a dime a dozen. One exercise or even a few tough exercises are not going to make the difference between getting in shape and not getting in shape.

There is no magical list of exercises that will get you what you want. There isn’t a “training regimen the government doesn’t want you to know about that’s now available for a limited time blahblahblah…” If you see an ad like that – leave the website, put down the magazine, or change the channel.

If I were to answer a question like “what exercises should I do?” by providing them with a simple static list of exercises, that person would not get what they’re looking for. Even though they’re asking for exercises, they don’t actually want them.

They want results.

In order to get results, you need the complete package – exercise, nutrition, recovery, and good psychological habits. This may be common knowledge, but the actual content of what goes into the correct version of these 4 factors is what most people are missing.

Providing you with insight on exactly what goes into the 4 things is going to be the primary purpose of this entire blog from this day forward.

Now that you know that exercise selection is an important, but small piece of the puzzle, you can begin to become aware of the rest of the pieces – allowing you to put them all together for yourself.

Until next time…

-Travis

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About Travis

Travis Steffen is a Master Trainer and founder of WorkoutBOX. After years of experience training professional athletes and thousands of others just like you, he knows exactly what it takes to get you in serious shape. Follow his expert guidance and you're guaranteed to get amazing results.

Want to hear even more of what Travis has to say? Keep in touch with him on Facebook and Twitter!

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